Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Genre: Young Adult, SciFi/Fantasy, Dystopian

Summary (from book flap - SPOILERS FOR THE HUNGER GAMES): Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned hsi back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely conivnced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

Review: The wait for this book was almost unbearable. September 1st could not come soon enough. I was horrified when I realized that the closest bookstore to my house did not open until 9am, meaning I'd have to wait until I got out of work to hold a copy of the book in my hands! But the wait was worth every single second.

Catching Fire does not disappoint and is just as engrossing as The Hunger Games, with a mix of action and violence that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the novel. Collins does a great job at fleshing out her characters and giving them depth. I felt like I knew Katniss and Peeta and the residents of District 12. It's as if they were my own friends and family. There's nothing I love more than being so completely invested in such a vast set of characters. There are certain characters to whom I become emotionally attached. I've tried to explain this to other people but so far all I've gotten is a bunch of "Are you crazy?" looks. But this is one of those books.

I love the strength of these characters. Katniss is independent, strong-willed and has such a sense of compassion for those around her. It is characters like this that I am thankful for; because I hope that when I have children, they will have great characters in books to look up to.

If you have not read The Hunger Games please run, do not walk, to the nearest bookstore/library to get a copy. If you have read The Hunger Games, well, what are you waiting for? Go pick up Catching Fire!

Now if I could just be patient for the third book in the Trilogy...a feat I don't think I'll be able to accomplish ;)

Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (Vintage)
Publication Date: June 23, 2009
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Summary (from back of book): Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into a complex and atmospheric novel.

Harriet Vangar, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel voncition, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of iniquity and corruption.

Review: I remember the first time I saw this book when I was browsing at the bookstore and initially didn't think much of it, only sparing a quick glance at the cover before I passed it by. It wasn't until a few months later that I took notice of the book for a second time and took a closer look before finally making my purchase.

Initially, the first 30 or so pages started off a little slow for me but very quickly picked up - boy, did it pick up! The worst thing about some crime novels is when you figure out the ending early on and I was a little skeptical that I wouldn't be engaged enough and that the novel would be predictable. I wondered whether the story would live up to all the hype I was hearing about it. Thankfully, my skepticism was unfounded. I became entranced by the unsolved murder of this young girl, Harriet, and the drama that surrounds the mystery.

I found myself wanting to know more about two of the main characters as I made my way through the novel. Their own history and storylines were just as compelling to read about as the murder investigation, which I found especially true of two of the main characters: Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander

All in all, this was a fantastic book that was nothing like I expected or thought it would be. The content is, at times, extremely disturbing and keeps the reader on the edge of her (or his) seat. There were certain points in the story when I literally got chills while reading. It's wonderful to really not know what's going to happen when you turn the page and being just as shocked or astounded as the characters are. I can't wait to pick up the next book in the series: The Girl Who Played with Fire.

This is only the fourth book review I've written since I started my blog earlier this month and I've found myself being unsure of how much of the plot and characters to talk about without giving too much away that also doesn't just leave the review at, "I liked it!" or "I hated it!." For me, one of the best things when I'm reading a book is to make all the discoveries along with the characters and experience things with them. So, for now I've gone with a less is more approach. Hopefully I'll get the hang of this whole reviewing thing eventually!

This is also the first book I have completed for the Olympic Challenge - London 2012. 1 down...201 books to go! =)

The Olympic Challenge - London 2012

Katrina at Katrina's Reads is hosting The Olympic Challenge - London 2012 in an attempt to read books from the 202 participating countries in the Summer Olympic Games by July 27, 2012.

You don't have to read a novel per country, it could be a novel, essay, poetry, non-fiction, or graphic novel, just as long as the author is a citizen of that country.

Also, if you are having trouble finding authors from a certain country, it is acceptable to read a book about the country instead.

I'm fascinated by the idea of reading books by authors from different countries. While I try to branch out and do this on my own with what I read in general, it is something I don't do as often as I'd like and hopefully this challenge will motivate me to do so.

Here's the massive list of countries:

Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan

Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi

Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
Chinese Taipei
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Cote d'lvoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic

Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic

Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia

Fiji
Finland
France

Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Great Britain - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Greece
Grenada
Guam
Guatamala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana

Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary

Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy

Jamaica
Japan
Jordan

Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
North Korea
South Korea
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan

Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg

Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar

Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway

Oman

Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico

Qatar

Romania
Russia
Rwanda

Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Switzerland
Syria

Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu

Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Uruguay
Uzbekistan

Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands

Yemen

Zambia
Zimbabwe